Ok guys... im thinking of making a metal protector for my spare tire... i was doing alittle wheeling tonight and went over a log and on the other side of the log, hidden to my sight, was a nice pointy rock... which when the back tires cleared the log, dropped my spare on the rock... it gave it a good gouge... luckily it was a crappy used tire that came with it... so i pulled it off and replaced it tonight so when the time down come that i need a spare... it actually has air in it....

so heres my idea... but im not sure of the specifics...thats where you guys come in....

Im thinking og going to get a nice piece of stainless steel and going to cut it about a 1/2 inch wider than the radius of the tire (which is 31.2 inches.) so i was going to get it about 31.5 inches round... then flair up the edges at about a 25-30 degree angle which will face up... then drill/cut a similar hole that the hook of the wheel would go through.. .then thread the tire, the protector and crank the combo back up...

im thikning it would give the spare altitle more protection...

but I do have acouple questions...
1. what guage steel shoudl I use... woudl 12 ga. be tough enough?
2. would a piece of similar gauge aluminum work too?
3. why didnt toyota just design the back of the truck to handle a tire swing gate and make it look good plus be functional like the 2nd gens????

pat

 

In response to #3, I would like to know the answer to this question as well. There are a few small fab companies that make customer rear bumpers with a swing gate, but they are prohibitively expensive and from what some have said, could actually cause problems over time because the rear frame wasn't made to withstand the weight being in that position, especially on oversized tires.

As far as I can tell, the best thing to do is to get an aftermarket roof rack that has a tire rack on it and mount it up there. This gives you the best of both worlds because you get extra ground clearance underneath, and you also don't have to worry about the weak frame issue. The only other thing I can think of would be to fab something that would strengthen the frame on the rear and then mounted a swing gate spare tire.

Drag racers do things to strengthen the frame/chassis all the time because they have engines so powerful that the torque will bend the stock chassis, so I think it would definitely be possible to beef the chassis up enough for a swing gate spare tire.

 

it may not be worth it if you plan to lift in the future. if you want, you could modify the spare tire carrier like schaefer did where it holds it tighter up against the body.

 

or maybe rig a a belly skid that bolts to the frame underneat with like four bolts... but it has swing down hinges to lower it down and out (staying parallel to the truck) for easy access... and since it's bolted down to the frame when closed, there won't be any pressure on the hinges, only on the mounting points. The hinges would be bolted to the inside of the frame rails. It's a little hard to explain what I'm thinking... but, I think it would be cool.

just off the top of my head.

 

Doesn't sound like a bad idea, but I'd think about moving it up top...just me.....Toyota did produce a rear swing gate for the 3rd gens it just wasn't released in the states. If you were able to get ahold of one you'd probably have to strengthen the mounting points..

 

just put the spare tire in the back of your rig when you go out on the trail, thats what I do. It's pretty simple, free and gives a lot more ground clearance, . I can comfortably sit under my bed if the spare isn't there.

 

I simply do not use a spare.

solves all the problems

 

this is my metal tire protector. I can leave it off or put it on
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f105/cbi-fabrications-tire-mount-bumper-65503/

 

I really like the hinged idea Kevin..... i have acouple pieces of alum. diamond plate laying around here somewhere... maybe i can find one thats around the right size and mock it out... thanks

 

glad i could help. ill try to draw it out... im not real familiar w/ 3rd gens but i think it would be awesome. also... your avatar kind of scares me

 

thats my dog hobbes... hes a black lab mix but he has accute kidney failure caused by lyme diseas so hes rally skinny... but i love that picture of him.. it always makes me laugh...

 

well if you're in a bind, why not get a vinyl cover, cut a piece of sheet metal as large, if not larger than the tire, place it in the bottom of the cover, then throw it up there...
i wouldn't be too worried about it melting or getting scratched to hell

 

that would work but it would also trap water, dirt and other stuff up there.... so i dont know

 

That sucks about your dog. It just looks like he has a really big mouth with a lot of really sharp fangs. I'm sometimes over-imaginative Labs are awesome.